Chapter 764: The Innocent Sweet Actress

The next afternoon, Jingcheng's top-tier ladies' afternoon tea restaurant.

Chu Lingxi sat by the window, a cup of herbal tea already cold before her. She deliberately wore little makeup today, a bare face, and even applied concealer under her eyes to create a 'dark circle' effect.

Regarding those dark circles, they were a makeup plan she and Lin Dongfan had worked out last night.

Her Chanel suit remained exquisite, but the coordination was a bit casual—the scarf tied crookedly, and she wore only one earring.

She presented the image of a fallen noblewoman forcing composure while her spirit was shattered.

When Xu Lili arrived, that was exactly what she saw.

'Lingxi!' she hurried over, full of concern: 'What's wrong with you? Your complexion is awful—did you not rest well last night?'

Chu Lingxi lifted her eyelids.

She looked at Xu Lili with a complex gaze mixing fatigue, grievance, and feigned strength.

She had practiced this expression for half an hour in front of the bathroom mirror the night before, with Lin Dongfan personally guiding her to show three parts fragility, three parts stubbornness, and four parts hesitation.

'Lili…'

She spoke, her voice hoarse just right: 'I… I'm done…'

'Done?'

That key word instantly reminded Xu Lili of how Chu Lingxi, after leveraging in the stock market, had suffered a three‑million loss overnight, and she couldn't help feeling a secret delight.

But Xu Lili kept a worried expression on her face: 'What happened? Tell me quickly.'

Chu Lingxi took a deep breath, then began her refined performance.

First she lowered her eyelids, her lashes trembling like the last stubborn leaf in an autumn wind—this expression she had learned from Scarlett O'Hara in the old film Gone with the Wind, which she had watched the night before.

'I… I lost all the money my family entrusted me to manage…' Her voice was soft and weak, yet each word clear: 'Three million… overnight…'

'What?!'

Xu Lili 'shocked' covered her mouth: 'How could this happen? That teacher didn't say…'

'He said it was a technical correction.' Chu Lingxi gave a bitter smile full of self‑mockery: 'He asked me to top up the margin. But… where would I get the money? Now I've even put my own private savings into it.'

Speaking, Chu Lingxi pulled a crumpled tissue from her bag and gently wiped the corner of her eye.

When she practiced this gesture the night before, she almost burst out laughing, because Lin Dongfan had said she should rub her eyes to convey 'I didn't want to cry, but I simply couldn't hold back.'

The result was that she ended up looking like she had just chopped onions.

But……

Now it seems the effect was still good, because Xu Lili's facial feedback was timely, already showing a look full of 'sympathy'.

'Lingxi, don't be like that…' Xu Lili took her hand: 'Money can be earned again; health matters. Look at you—your eyes are all black. Didn't you sleep at all last night?'

'How could I sleep?'

Chu Lingxi lifted her eyes to the sky, a classic move of the heroine from another film she had watched the night before.

She lamented her loss:

'Three million… although to my husband it's nothing, but… it was money he gave me. I originally wanted to prove to him that I could make money too, but…'

She paused just right, letting a lump roll in her throat, then continued: 'As a result I'm like a leek, chopped up all over by the stock market.'

This line was her own addition; after hearing it last night, Lin Dongfan fell silent for three seconds and commented: 'It's a bit too literary, but… it fits your persona, so keep it.'

Now it seems Xu Lili has completely bought into it.

'Lingxi, don't say that about yourself.'

Xu Lili patted the back of her hand: 'People make mistakes, horses stumble—we still have a chance to turn things around! Or how about this: tonight I'll take you to meet someone who surely can help you.'

Here we go.

Chu Lingxi felt an alarm ring in her heart, but her face showed puzzlement: 'Who is it?'

'General Manager—Zhao Tianyu.'

Xu Lili lowered her voice: 'He's the young master of Zhao Group, well‑connected and wealthy. I'll tell him about your situation; he'll surely want to help. To him, three million is just pocket money.'

Chu Lingxi 'hesitated' while biting her lip.

When she practiced this gesture the night before, she had bitten so hard she almost broke the skin; Lin Dongfan had urgently called a halt, saying to bite lightly—what was wanted was a pitiful look, not self‑harm.

'But… I don't even know him…'

Chu Lingxi struggled to squeeze out a hint of a pitiful appearance.

'I know him!' Xu Lili seized the moment to push the main point: 'General Manager is especially kind; he can't stand seeing a friend in trouble. Moreover…'

She paused, then added meaningfully: 'He's in the same line as your husband—both are in business—so he might even be able to introduce some projects to him.'

That statement was watertight, giving a reason for help while hinting at a possible exchange of interests.

In this situation, Chu Lingxi couldn't help but feel a bitter laugh inside.

She thought, 'Surely the people my husband suspected are no good!' And this old classmate of hers—Xu Lili—wasn't any good either.

But Chu Lingxi kept up a 'struggling, torn' façade: 'But… if my husband knew I was contacting a strange man, he wouldn't be pleased…'

'Oh, it's just a meal.'

Xu Lili laughed: 'Besides, you're going to seek help, not to give your husband a green hat. If he truly loves you, seeing you worried over money will only make him feel more for you. It'd be better to solve the problem first and give him a surprise.'

That logic is practically a perfect closed loop.

Chu Lingxi 'thought' for a full minute, then 'helplessly' nodded, her voice as soft as a lost, helpless mosquito: 'Well… okay. But I need to get home early, otherwise my husband…'

'Got it, got it—just dinner.'

Xu Lili smiled blossom‑like, instantly pulled out her phone and sent a message.

Half an hour later.

When Chu Lingxi got into Xu Lili's car, she secretly sent a WeChat message to Lin Dongfan: 'Husband, I'm going fishing, don't worry.' and shared her real‑time location.

The so‑called fishing was using herself as bait.

The car drove toward an extremely concealed private club in East City.

On the way, Xu Lili kept 'comforting' her: "Lingxi, don't put too much pressure on yourself. General Manager is really easy to talk to, and he especially likes to help talented people. You graduated from the dance academy, and you've performed on the Spring Festival Gala before. Usually General Manager also likes to watch dance performances, so you definitely have common topics."

Oh.

Chu Lingxi didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xu Lili chattered on like a pimp the whole way: "When we eat later, just talk to him about art; he'll surely appreciate you."

Hmm.

Chu Lingxi nodded obediently on the surface, but inside she was fuming: "Talk about art? Go suck up to a man with ill intentions? Am I Pan Jinlian, Xu Lili? You're going too far…"

With her former temper, Chu Lingxi would have immediately told the driver to pull over, get out, and leave.

But today, to complete the task assigned by her husband.

She could only grit her teeth and go through with it.